


Faraway Places

by Blablu



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Make that plural, set after the end of campaign 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 01:00:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blablu/pseuds/Blablu
Summary: A short story about loss, grief and second loves.





	Faraway Places

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [Trinket-buddy ](https://trinket-buddy.tumblr.com)for their excellent beta-ing and kind words !

They had always thought Grog would be the first to go. First after her brother, anyway. It was the natural order of things.  
People like them should have known the natural order of things didn't survive exposure to life.

"Turns out," said Kaylie, "that suude is really fucking bad for the heart."  


She was leaning against the doorframe, stone-faced, worryingly sober. She wasn't the one who had found the body – Pike was. But Pike was Champion of the Everlight and had to bring solace to hundreds of faithful, so she couldn't be there before dusk. Perhaps she didn't want to. Perhaps she was fleeing her house. If that was the case, Vex couldn't blame her.  
But Kaylie was there, greeting guest after guest, leading them to the body. Scanlan had never seemed so small. They had already seen him dead, twice, but this time was different. She knew in her bones that he would not be coming back. At the way Percy's breath hitched, he had probably just had the same thought.  
"Darling," she said to Kaylie. "I am so, so, sorry."  
"'S alright. I was never supposed to have a father. The time we had was already a bonus."  


She did cry later, during the funeral. Long, body-wracking sobs, into the arms of J'mon Sa Ord of all people – they had flown all the way from Marquet with an honor guard.  
Grand Arcanist Allura Vysoren was here too, with many heroes of the siege of Eamon: her wife Lady Kima Vysoren of Vord, Shaun Gilmore in opulent mourning robes, Zahra and Kashaw Hydris – both as envoys of the Slayer Take and as friends – and Jarrett, looking solemn, almost shy. This was a funeral of international importance, and of a deeply beloved man. Would he have been surprised to see how many people mourned him ? Who knew, with Scanlan ?  


Pike cried too, although you had to watch her closely to see it. She did not move, and she did not make a sound, but simply looked as Grog put the little coffin in the ground. Percy and Vex stood at her sides. Keyleth walked forward, raven feathers in her hair. In contrast with the rest of them, all softly greying, she looked as young as she had when they first had met. Experience had made her more beautiful, though. She dug her fingers in the dark earth, and a solid olive tree grew over the grave.  
_That's one of the things we have in common,_ thought Vex. _We make trees grow where people have died._  


They got shitfaced after that. They weren't sure what else to do.

  


So, Grog did not go first. But he did go soon after.  


"I just wanted to prove myself," said the young half-orc for maybe the twelfth time. "I never wanted this to happen !"  
Zahra had slung an arm around her shoulders : "It wasn't your fault, love."  


It was and it wasn't. The girl had challenged the Champion of the Crucible, hero of so many tales. He had badly blocked one of her kicks. His fall had been brutal. All those things had happened many times before. Bad luck had done the rest.  


"When you fight, people get hurt. That's just how it is."  
"But now a great man is dead, and the Champion of the Everlight hates me !"  
"She doesn't blame you," lied Keyleth – and when exactly had she learned to lie so well ? – "She blames life."  
Tary cleared his throat : "I believe this is how Goliaths want to go anyway. Fighting, I mean."  
"But not against a nobody like me !" And oh, how that hurts, for so many reasons. Vex rubbed Trinket's ears for comfort  
"You know darling," she finally said, "most of us used to be nobodies. And once you've battled a God and lived to tell the tale, all dangers seem pretty much equal."  


They buried him with his weapons, his gauntlets and the belt of Dwarvenkind, before adding his cask of ale, his hats, his favourite books, his rock collection, a pair of old glasses, some seashells, a handful of dragon scales, a wood symbol of Kord, a cask of Sandkeg, one of Scanlan's flutes and a thin braid of hair – white, blue and purple. So much of Vasselheim was present that Vex felt a little uncomfortable. In many ways, she wasn't mourning the same man they were.  
"In a thousand years," mused Percy as they wandered away from the grave, "the adventurers who will find this tomb will know the man inside had a very rich life."  
With a grunt, Pike left the group, heading straight for the half-orc girl. "You better defend his title well," they heard her say in the clean winter air. And perhaps a purpose can be, in some case, a greater kindness than forgiveness.

  


After Percy's illness took him, Vex refused to leave his side despite their children and grandchildren's repeated pleas. Pike was here often. Zahra and Kash too, and Tary – he knew what it meant to lose a husband – and Cassandra too, of course. Keyleth never left.  
When Percy finally tried to chide her, she simply smiled.  
"We're experimenting with a new council system. It will do my people good to be rid of me for a while."  
She had never looked so regal, nor so deeply tired. Vex kissed her lightly on the temple. She, too, was tired. They had all grown old.  
"I hope you see him," said Percy suddenly.  
They startled.  
"I hope you both see him, when he comes for me."  
_I hope I don't,_ thought Vex. _If I do I'll beg him to let you live, and he does not deserve to be put through that._  


In the end, she was spared the temptation: if her brother appeared that night, she did not see him.  
Naturally, they buried Percy in Whitestone, although not in his family's crypt. They chose a spot near the Sun Tree. A quiet ceremony, as mundane as a De Rolo could have.  
Zahra and Kash left first, for Vasselheim, then Tary for Wildmount and Cassandra with Allura and Kima, on a diplomatic mission. Most of Vex's children lived in Whitestone, but watching them go home with their own family felt strangely like a final goodbye.  
"They all leave us," she sobbed that night. "They all leave us for faraway places." Then she realized she was talking to Pike, who had lost almost everything, and to Keyleth, who would lose everyone. She stared at them in shame.  
"It's okay," said her friends at the same time.  
Vex wondered if they meant _it's okay, at least we all got to know and love them_ or _you are allowed to be selfish sometimes_. She hoped they did not mean _one day we'll get to leave too_ , although it did not seem such a grave thought anymore.  
"Stay a bit longer," she asked. They did, for a while. 

  


Eventually, Pike had to go back to her temple, which she did with a great many apologies.  
"My dear," said Vex, "you have nothing to apologize for. We all have our duties to the world."  
Pike gave her one of her gentlest looks : "Do you, still ? You raised all your children to lead." And with that, she took the road. Keyleth and Vex watched her disappear and stood there for a long time, shoulder to shoulder.  
"I'll stay a few days more," said Keyleth, "if you'll let me. The Sun Tree has started telling me a story and, I mean, you know how trees are. The only tales they know take weeks to finish."  
Vex took her hand.  
"Please, darling. Stay as long as you like."

Keyleth did leave, after a few months, but she came back as often as she could – and Vex soon found her ears straining at all time to hear the dry crack of a tree stride.  
Together they solved matters of the land, patrolled the forest and welcomed the travellers who came to visit the Whitestone Grand Library. But sometimes they just gardened, played with Trinket and the castle's children, or spent their day under the Sun Tree's welcoming shade, nestled against its bark and each other.  
For months, for years, it was simple. It was good. It wasn't quite what Vex wanted.  


"I know how much you loved my brother," she tried one day.  
Keyleth, eyes closed, hummed gently. They were in the west garden, enjoying a warm afternoon. Trinket was happy to be used as a giant pillow. A great raven was perched upon the wall.  
"And you know how much I have loved Percy," Vex pressed on.  
She realized she did not know what to say next, or rather how to say it. But perhaps it did not matter. When the light grew dim, Keyleth stood and offered Vex a hand to help her up. Vex took it. Neither of them let go.  


Keyleth was to leave for Zephrah soon. 

The night before her departure, as they were both reading by candlelight, Keyleth took Vex's hand again and brought it to her lips.  
Vex felt, overwhelmed, a forgotten spark come back to life in her fingertips. She could have sworn she was blushing.  
"I'm old," said Vex.  
Keyleth youthful face lit with a smile : "So am I."  
"I will break your heart in the end." The smile flickered like a flame.  
"We are family," said Keyleth – an echo of a distant past, of another story. "Family leaves. But I think I want what we have for a little while longer. Don't you ?"

In the morning, they both said their goodbye to the people of Whitestone and walked hand in hand toward the Sun Tree.  
To Zephrah, first.  
And then, together, to faraway places.


End file.
